Displaying items by tag: freedom

73 years ago an armistice was signed to divide North and South Korea. Now, millions of Koreans are praying for the reunification of the country. Each night for the past 17 years, from 10:00 pm to 3:00 am, South Korean intercessors with the Esther Prayer Movement gather to pray for the liberation of North Korea. The movement’s president said that North Korea has one of the world's worst qualities of life, the worst democracy, economic freedom, and freedom of speech; the most slavery, bribery and corruption. It is the worst persecutor of Christians. People in North Korea have no chance to listen to the Gospel, and they must idolise their dictator: ‘So we should make them free from their bondage. We pray for them.’ The North Korean underground church has 400,000 believers. South Koreans seek to spread the Gospel by floating across the water bottles filled with rice, money, and USB drives containing the Bible or Christian videos.

September 24, 2019, is the annual Save North Korean Refugees Day, organized by the North Korea Freedom Coalition, marking the anniversary of Communist China signing the international refugee convention – the very agreement it ignores and cruelly violates by its treatment of North Korean refugees.

Do not forget that China’s president Xi Jinping continues to kill innocent men, women, and children fleeing North Korea, as we see reports of his ongoing brutality against Christians, Falun Gong practitioners, Tibetans, Uighers, and now the citizens of Hong Kong.

Everyone, regardless of where you live, can participate with us on Save North Korean Refugees Day, this September 24. We are recruiting city and country coordinators who agree to deliver an appeal, on that day, to the local Chinese Embassy or consulate in your city.

Here’s what you can do:

If you live in a City with a Chinese Embassy or Consulate: Consider being a country or city coordinator.  We ask you commit to deliver a letter of appeal to Communist Chinese President Xi Jinping demanding the PRC end its repatriation policy.  A template letter will be provided for your use, or coordinators can prepare their own letter of appeal from their respective NGOs.  We only ask that you share a picture of your delivered letter.

You are also welcome to take whatever additional action you would like on that day.  For example, coordinators have hosted conferences and film screenings to raise awareness of the North Korea human rights issue, while others have planned demonstrations and rallies and prayer vigils.   

Here is a link to last year's activities and events for reference to give you some ideas of what folks from Los Angeles to Pretoria, from Tokyo to Linglongwe did last year to stand up for our North Korean brothers and sisters facing death by China's actions: http://www.nkfreedom.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/B-SNKRD-2018-FINAL.pdf

We must not remain silent for those being led away to death.  If you can deliver a letter or take action in solidarity to raise awareness of this issue, please email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Suzanne Scholte - Seoul Peace Prize Laureate

President, Defense Forum Foundation

www.defenseforumfoundation.org  /  www.nkfreedom.org

Pray: Lets be in prayer for a step change in China's treatment of these innocent and vulnerable people escaping North Korea.

Pray: For a change in policy by President Xi Jinping, that stops the killings and forced re-patriations.

Pray: For an end to the imprisonment and brutality against Christians and other faith groups in China.

Pray: For the Church in China and North Korea to grow and become stronger despite the persecution and oppression.

American pastor Andrew Brunson has been released after being detained in Turkey for two years. President Trump has already met Brunson, who had been charged with helping to plot a coup against President Erdogan and sentenced to 37 months in prison. The Turkish authorities chose to release him based on his time already served, as well as his manner during the proceedings. Prosecutors had been demanding a ten-year jail term. The case had soured relations between Turkey and the US, heightened by Trump's desire to support Brunson and emphasise the importance of religious freedom. Erdogan’s office denied that any deal with the US had taken place, and criticised Trump for tweeting that he had been ‘working very hard for Pastor Brunson’ and his release.

Betel UK is a Christian charity helping men and women trapped in addiction. 44-year-old Kim says, ‘I came into Betel hoping to stay for two weeks to get off drugs. Fourteen years later, I'm still here! God has captured my heart and completely transformed my life. Now I live a life that was once unimaginable to me. I'm the women's supervisor here. I love seeing people being transformed by the power of the cross. I'm married with two beautiful daughters, and my life is focussed on the Lord and His plans for me. I once heard a speaker saying, “I don't want to go where God's presence won't be”. That's my heart. I lived without the Lord for so many years and now I can't imagine life without Him. I was once trapped in addiction and darkness, but through Jesus, I now have a freedom I never knew was possible.’

A North Korean man has been arrested on 'spying' charges after meeting Christian relatives in China. Kim Seung-mo, 61, was arrested early in June after visiting family in China's Jilin province, which borders North Korea. A local source said, ‘After he came back, he openly told his neighbours that his relatives attended a church, whose pastor collected many used clothes from parishioners for him. It seems that someone informed state security agents. All travellers to China are required to report their whereabouts and details about their activities. Kim was charged with spying because he did not report that his relatives are churchgoers, and that the pastor had helped him.’ Kim was reportedly 'shackled and tied with rope ... There were obvious signs of violent assault because he had split lips and black eyes, and he appeared to have sustained an injury to one of his legs'.